Ricky Willis

Personal finance blog spotlight: Skint Dad

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Skint Dad is written by husband-and-wife team Ricky and Naomi Willis. Sharing tips on saving money and growing wealth, the blog was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Personal Finance Blogs. We caught up with Ricky to find out how the blog has become an accidental business, why  making money is as important as saving money and how the pair work collaboratively with PRs.

How has your blog changed over time?  
It’s definitely got more professional. It started off as a hobby blog using a free WordPress theme. We never intended for it to become what it has, and it was an accidental business that now supports both myself and my wife.

We now look to run Skint Dad as more of a community. We talk with our readers daily and they have a massive impact on how the site is shaped – it’s no longer just about us sharing how we cut back; we want everyone to be in financially better off.

How much do you plan your posts in advance?
We do, and we don’t. We write a lot of content based on what’s happening in the world of saving money right now, so we never know the next thing that will come our way. However, we do plan and research into longer guides in a lot more depth.

What’s the biggest takeaway from the Autumn Budget for our personal finances?
The rise in the personal allowance will probably make the biggest impact for most people as they’ll see the change directly in their pay packet.

Is it more important to save money or find new ways to make money?
It gets to a point where you’ve saved all you can save, so it’s definitely about looking for ways to increase the amount of money you’ve got coming in.

How do you work with PRs for the blog?
Most of the time, PRs and agencies reach out to us about new collaborations via email. We then just take it from there to see what they are looking to achieve and how we can work with them to meet their targets. It’s important for us that it fits with our core values and works for both parties.

What campaigns have you collaborated on that were really good?
We’ve worked with many different brands, from supermarkets to banks, on many different campaigns; not just producing content, but also video and supporting with media campaigns beyond the blog.

What’s best practice for when PRs contact you?
I’m not sure there’s a one size fits all approach. It’s helpful that they read our blog and know a bit about us before approaching us with an idea that might not fit. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t look to brainstorm some ideas that may work.

I think, sometimes, PRs can just reach out hoping to get what they want, whereas we look to see if it will work for our audience too.

It’s not that we want to be overly picky, we just want to collaborate on things that will be genuinely useful to the readers and we believe in as well.

Do you think bloggers should have their own industry association?
I can’t see it working in the short term. There are so many different niches that nothing could really be settled. There are a number of blogging networks set up already if someone wanted to be part of a wider group.

Personally, I could see an association costing bloggers money to join, to get a newsletter once a month, but there would be little overall value.

I’m happy to be proved wrong.

What other blogs do you read?
I rarely read other blogs in our niche, to be honest, but do sometimes take a look at more technical sites like Search Engine Round Table and Moz to keep up with the fluctuations in the Google Algorithm.

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Brussels

Political Headlines – May heads to Brussels, Dad’s Army, growing support for May and the DUP

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Today’s political headlines include May heading to Brussels in an attempt to finalist Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg comparing himself to Captain Mainwaring, Growing support for Theresa May and the DUP intending to vote against the Brexit deal. 

May heads to Brussels as EU states raise objections to future relationship agreement
The BBC reports that Theresa May is heading to Brussels today amid attempts to finalise the Brexit deal before European leaders meet on Sunday. A deadline to settle the agreement on the future relationship was missed last night, with EU members raising objections to proposals covering UK access to the single market, fishing rights in British waters, and Gibraltar.

Eurosceptic coup attempt likened to ‘Dad’s Army’
As the Daily Mail reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted that his attempt to oust Theresa May has become a bit like ‘Dad’s Army’, comparing himself to Captain Mainwaring. He warned that the Tories would be stuck with May as leader at the next election unless they acted now. The Daily Telegraph adds that the ‘old guard’ of Eurosceptics have claimed that Rees-Mogg has exhibited ‘naivety’ and suggested that the focus should be on defeating May’s deal in the meaningful vote.

Growing support for May among voters
A poll conducted for The Times shows that voter support for Theresa May has increased over the last week. A week ago, YouGov found that 33% of voters wanted the Prime Minister to remain and 47% wanted her to leave, but those figures are now 46% and 34% respectively. Detailed analysis shows that May’s support has increased most among Conservative voters.

‘Of course’ we’ll vote against Brexit deal, DUP claims
The Financial Times says that the DUP has announced that it will ‘of course’ vote against Theresa May’s Brexit deal despite hopes by ministers that it would abstain. Last night, the Government accepted Labour and SNP amendments to the Finance Bill after the DUP indicated that it was planning to abstain on the votes.

Tory remainers have ‘role to play’ in building soft Brexit coalition, Sturgeon says
According to The Guardian, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has claimed that remain-supporting Conservative MPs have a ‘role to play’ in creating a soft Brexit coalition in the Commons. Apparently, SNP, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs have been talking with Tory remainers in an attempt to agree an alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, such as Nick Boles’ proposed Norway-style plan.

UK leads successful attempt to block Russian from becoming Interpol President
The Times reports that Kim Jong-yang from South Korea has been elected as the new President of Interpol, defeating the Russian Alexander Prokopchuk, allegedly a former KGB agent. The paper says that the UK and the USA had been leading a last-minute attempt to prevent the Russian candidate from winning. Lib Dem Leader Sir Vince Cable had warned that if Prokopchuk won, Interpol would become a ‘branch of the Russian mafia’.

Mordaunt to announce new focus on low-paid women
The Times reveals that Penny Mordaunt, the Minister for Women and Equalities will use a speech today to announce that the Government will shift its focus away from issues affecting middle class women, including the gender pay gap, towards those affecting women in low-paid jobs, with limited qualifications or who care for relatives.

Labour promises to end compulsory GCSE resits
The Guardian reports that Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner has announced details of her party’s plan to reform further education, pledging to end the ‘remorseless cycle’ of compulsory GCSE maths and English resits and promising to ‘put learners first’.

Brexit is complicated, make it simple with Vuelio Political Services.

An introduction to energy PR

#PRPays – PR and the energy sector

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The CIPR has released the second instalment of its #PRPays series – an interview with Lawrence Slade, CEO at Energy UK. This is accompanied by additional energy content from the CIPR, in the shape of its Energy and Leadership Platform’s An Introduction to Energy PR.

The #PRPays campaign aims to highlight the strategic value of public relations to the business community. The interview with trade association Energy UK follows the first edition with Heathrow’s CEO John Holland-Kaye.

Talking about the importance of PR to Energy UK and businesses in general, Slade is an advocate of well-organised PR teams whether it’s working on the Energy Switch Guarantee, preparing the organisation for a crisis or dealing with the market post-Brexit.

Check out the full interview here:

This interview has been followed by the first publication from the recently formed thinktank the Energy and Leadership Platform. The guide is aimed at educating and inspiring PR and communication practitioners across the world to pursue a career in energy PR.

It draws on the complexities of the sector and the fact that energy PR is not confined to just a few topics. The guide says: ‘Energy communications is never just about oil or gas or power. Geopolitics, capital markets, international trade, environmental cost and protection, engineering/technology (amongst many other issues), resettlement and local culture also need to be considered.’

The short guide is split into three main areas – strategy; building, rebuilding and maintaining trust; and community engagement – and is a must read for anyone working in or with the energy sector around the world.

Ella Minty, co-chair of the Energy Leadership Platform said: ‘The energy sector is at a significant crossroad – the demand for cleaner, cheaper energy is considered a given in the developed economies while in the less fortunate regions of the world a lightbulb is considered a luxury.

‘An Introduction to Energy PR’ marks the beginning of our journey to demonstrate the value of Public Relations as a strategic management function in the Energy sector, and the significant benefits strategic communicators can bring to build bridges across the complex energy stakeholder profile.’

Facebook news

Facebook launches Community News Project to fund local journalists

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From January 2019, Facebook will be facilitating the recruitment of paid trainee journalists as part of its Community News Project.

The social network has pledged £4.5 million for the project as a donation to National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ). The scheme will fund 80 new UK journalists over two-year period. Recruits will be trained up by the NCTJ before joining local and regional newsrooms across the country. Contracts for the new recruits will be held across a partnership of regional publishers including Reach, Newsquest, Archant, JPI Media, and Midlands New Association.

A focus of the project will be to fund trainees from different backgrounds, reflecting diversity across local communities. Another major focus will be to place recruits in areas affected by local newspaper cuts. NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher said: ‘The goal here is to encourage more reporting from towns and villages who may have lost their local paper or beat reporters to ensure these communities benefit from high-quality journalism.’

Roles will be added in addition to current reporters, not as a replacement. And although the scheme does not guarantee a job at the end, trainees will expand their skills and provide valuable input across busy regional and local press outlets.

Archant content director Laura Adams said the initiative, ‘aligns with our core objective, which is to engage with our communities, be reflective of them and have our reporters on the ground to be able to do that job effectively’.

This is the first time that Facebook has put money into local journalism in the UK, and the scheme will sit alongside the BBC’s Local News Partnership, which has provided some 140 local democracy reporters to newsrooms across the UK.

New community journalists joining newsrooms is a great benefit to PRs. These trainee journalists are going to be open to speaking to PRs, hearing about the latest news stories in their area, looking for leads and ready to build new relationships.

Ready to reach the right journalists? You need the Vuelio Media Database.

Theresa May

Political Headlines – the stalled attempt to topple May and the DUP abandoning the Government

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Today’s political headlines include the stalled attempt to topple May, DUP abandoning the Government in Budget votes, Hunt condemns rebels and May’s secret plan to abandon the backstop. 

Attempt to topple May stalls
The Daily Telegraph says that Conservative Brexiteers have admitted their attempt to remove Theresa May as leader has ‘stalled’ and that ‘bitter in-fighting’ has broken out among them, with it now appearing unlikely that enough support will be received for a confidence vote in the Prime Minister before her Brexit deal is voted on next month. The paper adds that the ‘gang of five’ Brexiteer cabinet ministers has also broken up, after they were unable to reach a united position.

DUP abandons Government in Budget votes
The Times says that the Government was abandoned by the DUP in votes on the Finance Bill last night, which the paper claims has ‘all but killed off’ the deal between the two. The DUP abstained on three votes and voted with Labour on a further one. The DUP has claimed that the deal between the two parties is not dead, although party sources linked the decision to its displeasure with May’s Brexit deal, and the Government has not commented.

Rebels risk causing ‘the most appalling chaos’, Hunt says
The Guardian says that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that if rebels succeed in toppling Theresa May, they risk causing ‘the most appalling chaos’. He said that the Prime Minister had an ‘incredibly challenging’ job and was ‘by far the best-placed person’ to carry out. He said that he was in talks with European counterparts to ‘clarify both sides’ intentions’ in the political declaration on the future UK-EU relationship.

May’s ‘secret plan’ to abandon the backstop
The Sun claims that Theresa May has a ‘secret plan’ to abandon the Irish backstop through a clause in the Withdrawal Agreement which says that ‘alternative arrangements’ can be agreed to keep the border open, such as the use of new technology. A delegation of Brexiteers including Iain Duncan Smith, Owen Paterson, Lord Lilley and Lord Trimble discussed the plan with the Prime Minister yesterday.

Spain demands veto over Gibraltar
The Guardian reports that Spain will reject the Brexit deal unless it is given a special veto to prevent any future UK-EU trade agreement from covering Gibraltar. Spain’s Foreign Minister, Josep Borrell, said that future negotiations on Gibraltar must be ‘separate’ from those between the UK and the EU.

Rudd condemns UN poverty report
According to The Guardian, Amber Rudd, who was appearing in the Commons as Work and Pensions Secretary for the first time, has condemned a UN inquiry into poverty in the UK because of the ‘extraordinary political nature’ of its language, which she described as ‘wholly inappropriate’. The Times adds that Rudd used her debut to indicate that she would need more funding to fix problems with Universal Credit.

Hunt seeks to repay Iran £400m to free prisoner
The Times reports that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is trying to get approval to repay £400m owed to Iran for four decades in a bid to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, currently imprisoned in Iran. A previous attempt to do so by his predecessor Boris Johnson was blocked by Downing Street to avoid breaching sanctions or being seen to pay for a hostage’s release.

Labour to scrap civil servant degree requirement
The Financial Times reports that Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner is to announce that the party would remove the requirement for civil servants to have higher academic qualifications unless they are genuinely relevant to the role in order to tackle ‘snobbery’ and establish a ‘genuine parity of esteem’.

Don’t let your political progression stall. Vuelio Political Services has everything you need to race ahead.

Fake news and facts

FAKE NEWS: tackling disinformation in society

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Thanks to Donald Trump, ‘fake news’ is what people typically think of upon hearing the phrase ‘disinformation’, though in reality it covers a whole host of sharing false information, from misconstrued comments to propaganda.

At the recent newsrewired event, a panel of disinformation experts discussed its impact on news today. The session covered both sides of what makes disinformation spread – newsrooms not verifying information before publishing as well as audiences sharing information they are unsure is real.

BBC’s Alistair Baker Coleman thinks the responsibility to verify falls on publishers, platforms and tools, saying: ‘People don’t have time to check if something is true’.

Many publishers already have a process for confirming information is correct and factual, but now people are turning their focus towards platforms and tools where content is being shared by individuals.

The major social media platforms continue to implement techniques for spotting and removing false and malicious content, but these are far from perfect and not nearly comprehensive enough to tackle fake news completely.

Tom Phillips of Full Fact believes that there should be more focus on the end user and there is a need to show people how to trust. Phillips suggested that a toolkit helping people understand when to trust, and when not to, could assist in curbing the spread of disinformation.

A piece of information has very few ways of being right and infinite ways of being wrong, and it’s now so easy to access and share that the wrong information can quickly become the ‘accepted’ information. Accurate or not, if people are seeing content they agree with, or even strongly disagree with, they are more likely to distribute it on social media or across private messenger services.

Aoife Gallagher of Storyful thinks that teaching children from a young age could be the key, she said: ‘Students need to know how to spot disinformation and navigate the internet’. There was a general consensus that education about fake news, and the dangers of spreading it, was currently lacking but rolling out education for the masses is a huge job with questionable results. What is clear is that disinformation is now an undeniable part of our society.

An element not introduced to the discussion was the role PRs and comms professionals can play. They have the ability and the power to help set the record straight, providing authoritative expert analysis and opinion and help both the media and audiences with the truth.

Ready to reach the right journalists with the truth? Find out more about the Vuelio Media Database.

Hijacking christmas

How to hijack Christmas

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The John Lewis Christmas advert has been a cultural phenomenon ever since a little boy couldn’t wait to present his parents with a mystery box in 2011. In recent years, it’s appeal has drawn increased competition from both traditional and new competitors all vying to be the season’s best. This year, the competition is as fierce as ever but now it’s the imitations, parodies and hijacks of the John Lewis [JL] advert that are stealing focus.

What are the benefits of a parody?
Due to the status of the JL advert in society, anything that is a pastiche, or at least alludes to it, has more chance to attract attention, allowing relatively low budget campaigns to ride the JL wave.

This is clear in a majority of the highest profile parodies that have come to light, including this single image from Lidl:

Topping 25K likes on Twitter alone, the image has everything – Christmas-themed border, a pun that works with Lidl and the JL advert and messaging that pushes the budget-friendly angle Lidl is famous for.

Parodies also work as part of existing campaigns. Iceland, who broke ranks early in the Christmas advert stakes and managed to gain a huge amount of coverage for its ‘banned’ advert, has since been maximising its palm oil/orangutan angle including this simple tweet:

In-house hijack
While everyone from Pizza Hut to Frank PR has made use of JL advert, perhaps the greatest parody of all comes from John Lewis’ sister brand, Waitrose. Part of its #TooGoodToWait campaign, Waitrose is hijacking the hijacks with this TV spot:

By showing awareness that brands parody the JL Christmas advert, Waitrose is effectively ‘giving permission’ for all other parodies while taking a friendly swipe at the JL ad’s place in society. This is a tactic Waitrose has used before but never so explicitly.

It also shows that the brands are very much linked, which is something they’re keen to promote as evidenced by their first joint advert in September.

Parodies and pastiches are a great way to make tight budgets go far but require quick, reactive teams. Being able to see what’s trending, especially among your competitors, allows you to join in the conversation as it happens, rewarding smart PRs.

Find out how Vuelio Media Monitoring can help stay up to date with your sector and keep an eye on your competitors.

As a special bonus, because it’s not a parody as such, here’s Twitter’s take on a John Lewis Christmas:

Theresa May

Political Headlines – ‘hunting down’ May, immigration, Corbyn’s Brexit and Barnier’s extension

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Today’s political headlines include Tory MPs warned against ‘hunting down’ May, a ‘fairer’ immigration policy, Corbyn’s alternative Brexit plan and Barnier’s suggestion that Brexit transition could be extended until 2022. 

Tory MPs warned against ‘hunting down’ May
The Times reports that former chief whip Andrew Mitchell has warned his colleagues against ‘hunting down’ Theresa May, warning that a leadership challenge would do ‘untold damage’. The Prime Minster claimed yesterday that a challenge to her would cause ‘uncertainty for people and their jobs’ and ‘a risk that Brexit gets delayed or frustrated’. The Daily Telegraph claims that five Cabinet ministers will meet today to call for alterations to the deal, but that May will confront them and refuse to renegotiate the agreement.

May to tell CBI her deal delivers a fairer immigration policy
The Times says that the Prime Minister is to tell the CBI’s conference today that her Brexit deal will allow immigration to be controlled, while permitting businesses to recruit from abroad, creating a level playing field between EU citizens and those from other countries in a system ‘built around the talents and skills a person has to offer’. The Guardian adds that the CBI’s president, John Allan, will endorse May’s deal today, while admitting that it is ‘not perfect’. He will warn that the current uncertain situation is ‘damaging our country’ and say that the deal opens ‘a route to a long-term trade arrangement’.

Corbyn to set out alternative Brexit plan
According to The Guardian, Jeremy Corbyn will use a speech at the CBI conference to set out Labour’s alternative Brexit plan. He will call for a permanent customs union and protection of environmental standards and workers’ rights, as well as a ‘strong single market relationship’. He will say that May’s plan leaves ‘the country in an indefinite halfway house’.

Barnier suggests Brexit transition could be extended until 2022
The Financial Times reports that the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has proposed that the Brexit transition period could be extended until December 2022. He also told EU ambassadors that negotiations over the Withdrawal Agreement should not be reopened despite the ‘volatile’ political situation in the UK.

Six letters needed to trigger vote of no confidence in May
In an exclusive, The Sun reports that 42 Tory MPs have ‘given firm assurances’ that they have submitted letters of no confidence in Theresa May, meaning that six more are needed to trigger a vote in her future as leader. According to the paper, MPs admit that today is ‘judgment day’ and if the threshold is not passed today, it is unlikely that it will be before the vote on the deal in December.

Cyber security minister needed to tackle Russian threat
The Daily Telegraph carries details of a report by the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy which calls on the Government to appoint a minister for cyber security, as the current level of oversight was ‘wholly inadequate’ and countries such as Russia are expanding their capacity to deliver cyber-attacks.

Jeremy Hunt to call for Iran to release British prisoner
The Daily Mail reports that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is visiting Iran today and will use the trip to lobby for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, jailed on spying charges. Speaking ahead of the visit, he condemned using innocent people for ‘political leverage’.

Report calls for cap on number of peers
The Daily Telegraph says that a new report by the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee calls for the House of Lords to be capped in size at 600 members, a decrease of 200 from the present figure. It suggests achieving this through a ‘two-out-one-in’ policy.

Worried about Brexit uncertainty? Find out how Vuelio Political Services can bring you clarity.

SRM

One size doesn’t fit all – why CRM isn’t right for stakeholders

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Customers, staff, the board, suppliers, influencers, government, councillors, the public, shareholders, owners, managers. All are stakeholders, all need to be managed by you and your company. But they don’t all require the same service or input, which is why we have HR tools, CRMs – Customer Relationship Management – and SRMs – Stakeholder Relationship Management.

What’s the difference?
Customers, or service users, have a distinct set of needs that you seek to satisfy – and your CRM manages this process from start to finish. Staff, similarly, enter into a specific contract with the company and both sides have expectations of what’s required.

In the comms industry, ‘stakeholders’ covers those external to the business who can influence and affect your activity or strategic ambitions. Influence of this kind can come from a particular position or interest, for example, an MP or local councillor may sit on a committee that can influence the policy underpinning the success of your project.

It can also include support from specific community groups or a charity sector that is essential to create momentum behind a key ambition for change.

It is the link between a stakeholder’s influence and your objectives that makes stakeholder management unique. The landscape never stays still; with a new day, issues can come and go, bringing new stakeholders to the fore and making others redundant, which creates new opportunities for engagement.

The distinctions between customers and other stakeholders are clear, yet many organisations continue to use CRM software to manage their stakeholder relationships. This can create a loss of momentum and, ultimately, a loss of quality ‘memory’ that could support your evolving strategy for many years to come.

SRM software, on the other hand, is designed to focus on the influence an individual or organisation has on your objectives, supporting your chosen method of stakeholder modelling and evolving with your engagement activities.

SRM vs CRM

  • CRM is often implemented to provide automation and transparency around key commercial and service driven processes, such as sales pipelines, managing service agreements and linking to finance departments
  • SRM is a communications tool at a heart, supporting targeted relationship management including viewing a single stakeholder in multiple ways, depending on the project or issue
  • CRM often has a concluding objective: a sale, renewal or delivering a service
  • SRM tends not to conclude because managing reputation with stakeholders is continuous, evolving with your organisation
  • CRM has a strict activity type, one organisation to one organisation, even when there may be different personnel points in the process the customer is viewed as one.
  • SRM can view stakeholders as a group, such as an alliance or committee. One individual can be considered to have several ‘hats’, thus seen as a stakeholder for many different scenarios.

Ready for a market-leading SRM? Find out more about Vuelio. 

Theresa May

Political Headlines – defiant May, Gove’s considerations, no confidence vote and business concerns

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Today’s political headlines include May’s vow to carry on despite the resignations, Gove considering his position after rejecting the Brexit Secretary, no confidence vote in May expected next week and businesses concerned by political turmoil.

May vows to carry on despite resignations over Brexit deal
The Guardian reports that Theresa May has vowed to ‘see this through’, despite the resignations of Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey and various junior figures over her Brexit deal yesterday. She warned that rejecting the deal would cause ‘deep and grave uncertainty’ and said it was ‘the right one for our country’. The Daily Telegraph adds that it has been told by ‘sources close to Arlene Foster’ that the DUP’s deal with the Conservatives will be abandoned unless May is replaced.

Gove considering position after rejecting Brexit Secretary role
The Times says the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove is considering his position. Yesterday Theresa May offered him the role of Brexit Secretary, but he would only accept on the condition that he could renegotiate the deal, and she was unable to agree. The paper adds that International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt is calling for a free vote on the deal and that this has yet to be definitively rejected.

No confidence vote in May expected next week
The Daily Telegraph claims that a no-confidence vote is expected in Theresa May next week after the chair of the European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg said that he would write to the chair of the 1922 Committee calling for one, although he denied planning a ‘coup’ and said that he was not ‘offering myself as leader’.

Businesses concerned by political turmoil
The Financial Times says that businesses ‘expressed horror’ at yesterday’s political turmoil. Josh Hardie, the CBI’s deputy director general warned that crashing out of the EU without a deal ‘would be a disaster’, while Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce said that he was concerned about the reaction of ‘major international investors’ to the uncertainty which would be created if the deal collapsed.

EU members worried deal is too soft
The Guardian claims that some EU members are concerned that the proposed deal may be too soft on the UK, including France, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands. They are concerned about the implications of the UK remaining in a customs union with the EU and want tighter guarantees to make sure that it is prevented from being able to undercut EU standards. There are also worries about fishing rights post-Brexit.

Poll shows Tory supporters back May
A poll conducted for the Daily Mail shows that Conservative supporters do not support attempts to depose Theresa May, with respondents backing her by around 2 to 1 over both Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. However, just 27% of all voters back the deal, with 49% being opposed. 42% of voters would back a People’s Vote, but 38% oppose it.

Chance of Labour MPs backing deal ‘ebbing away’
According to the Financial Times, the Prime Minister’s chances of persuading Labour MPs to back her Brexit deal are ‘ebbing away’, despite her hopes that some of them would vote for it to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Eurosceptic Labour MP Graham Stringer told the paper that he would not back the deal and that he hadn’t found anyone else who would.

Lords vote not to suspend peer accused of sexual harassment
The Times reports that peers voted not to suspend Lord Lester of Herne Hill, despite a report by the House of Lords standards commissioner finding that he offered the campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera ‘inducements’ to sleep with him. Peers raised concerns the investigation was unfair, but Sanghera said the vote left her feeling ‘bullied and re-victimised’.

Are you able to present your political intelligence? Find out how Vuelio Political Services can help.

brexit chess pieces

Political Headlines – Brexit deal forced through and ministers resign

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Today’s political headlines include May forcing through her Brexit deal but two ministers resign, Labour won’t back deal states Starmer, Brexit deal welcomed by Varadkar and special summit date confirmed by Tusk. 

May forces Brexit plan through Cabinet, but two ministers resign
The Times reports that Theresa May has forced her deal through, following a five-hour Cabinet meeting. May said a ‘decisive step’ had been taken, but the paper claims that nine ministers expressed concerns during the meeting. The details of the agreement show that the UK will remain in a customs union with the EU indefinitely unless a solution is found for the Irish border, with no right to withdraw unilaterally and Northern Ireland continuing to follow additional single market rules. According to The Daily Telegraph, however, eleven ministers spoke against the plan, including Esther McVey, who was described by sources as ‘emotional’ and ‘aggressive’. This morning, as The Guardian reports, both Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara have resigned over the deal.

Starmer says Labour won’t back deal
The Independent reports that Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, has said that his party will vote against the Brexit deal. He claimed that it was ‘not good enough for manufacturing and services’ and was ‘a miserable failure of negotiation’ which would make reaching new trade agreements difficult.

Varadkar welcomes deal  
The Guardian says that Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland gained everything that it wanted from the Brexit negotiations, describing news of the deal as ‘one of the better days in politics’ and adding that ‘a satisfactory outcome’ had been achieved on ‘protecting the peace process and the Good Friday agreement’.

DUP criticises ‘bad deal’
The Daily Mail says that the DUP has described the proposed agreement as a ‘bad deal’, with Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson claiming that the party would vote against it. He criticised the plan for tying the UK to the customs union and EU regulations, and because the UK would not be able to leave it unilaterally.

Tusk confirms special summit date
The Financial Times reports that European Council President Donald Tusk has confirmed that EU leaders will hold a special summit on November 25 to agree the proposed deal. He said that he still saw Brexit as a ‘lose-lose’ situation, but that he would ‘do everything’ to make Brexit ‘the least painful possible’ for each side.

Immigration White Paper to be published before Brexit vote
In an exclusive, The Sun says Theresa May will publish the delayed Immigration White Paper in the first week of December, prior to the vote on the Brexit deal. The paper says that ‘insiders’ claim that it will be used to try and win over Eurosceptics who might be considering voting against May’s deal.

Betting stake plan brought forward
According to The Times, Theresa May was ‘forced into an embarrassing climbdown’ yesterday after the Government announced that plans to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals would be brought forward to April. The change followed a rebellion by over 20 Tory MPs and the resignation of Tracey Crouch from the Government.

Brokenshire announces housing courts
The Sun reports that Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire has released plans to establish housing courts to speedily settle disputes between landlords and tenants. He said the plan would be especially important ‘for families and vulnerable tenants’.

Are you able to present your political intelligence? Find out how Vuelio Political Services can help.

EU Brexit

Political Headlines – Brexit showdown and legal advice

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Today’s political headlines include May’s Brexit showdown with the Cabinet, Government admitting defeat over Brexit legal advice, a second peer accused of sexual harassment and the Labour MP accused or misleading police in a speeding case. 

May prepares to present draft Brexit agreement to Cabinet
Nearly all the major newspapers this morning are leading with the announcement that a draft Brexit deal has been agreed between the UK and the EU, with Theresa May set to put the deal to Cabinet this afternoon. The Telegraph is reporting that May is facing a major backlash from ministers and MPs in her party, with Jacob Rees Mogg writing in the same paper that the deal would betray the Union. The Times is reporting that Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Michael Gove are two figures said to be unhappy with the draft agreement. David Davis and Boris Johnson joined in with criticisms of the deal, with both former ministers calling on those in the Cabinet to resign rather than accept the deal.

Government admits defeat over Brexit legal advice
The Guardian has reported on the concession of defeat by the Government in the Commons yesterday. Conservative MPs were ordered to abstain on the vote over the publishing of the Brexit legal advice, with the Government aware that it would have been defeated by the alliance of MPs from Labour and the DUP. The Government will now have to publish the legal advice covering the withdrawal agreement before MPs vote on the deal.

Second peer accused of sexual harassment  
The Times is reporting that a second member of the House of Lords has been accused of sexually harassing younger women. The Peer, said to be in his early 60s, is the subject of a formal complaint submitted to the Lords commissioner. The revelation comes after Lord Lester of Herne Hill was found by the commissioner to have groped a charity campaigner, with the Lords set to decide on the recommendation that Lord Lester be suspended from the House until 2022.

Labour MP ‘misled police’ in speeding case
The Guardian is reporting on the trial of Labour MP Fiona Onasanya, in which the Old Bailey has heard that she deliberately misled police in claiming that a former lodger was behind the wheel when her car was caught speeding. Onasanya’s younger brother Festus admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice, with Onasanya facing the same charge at the Old Bailey.

Wage growth hits 10-year high
The Times has reported on official figures that show the speed of wage growth is the fastest since the financial crisis. The news means a lift in living standards for workers, with wages 3.2% higher in the three months to September than they were last year.

HS2 report warns that costs could be more than double that of comparable projects
The Times carries details of a report from PWC that claims HS2 would cost £81m per kilometre, compared to £32m for similar projects across Europe. Ministers are now under pressure to reduce costs in the construction phase, through measures such as reducing station size and limiting land purchasing.

Blair criticises Corbyn over Brexit stance
The Telegraph has picked up on comments set to be made by Tony Blair, criticising the Labour leader for refusing to back a second referendum. In a speech later today, Blair will argue that left-wing populism should not be the response to rising right-wing populism, and the far left is mistaken in distancing itself from the record of New Labour.

Are you able to present your political intelligence? Find out how Vuelio Political Services can help.

PRCA national awards

Taylor Herring dominates another industry Awards

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Another PR Awards ceremony, another incredible performance from Taylor Herring. The creative agency picked up six awards at last night’s PRCA National Awards 2018, adding to the 21 wins and highly commendeds they’ve already achieved this year.

Other big winners from the night include the small, medium and large consultancies of the year, awarded to Talker Tailor Trouble Maker, Fourtold and Hope&Glory respectively.

There’s also a special mention to the winner of the Vuelio-sponsored Public Sector, Value for Money Awards, won by the agency Kindred for its Invisible People – Telling the World About Modern Slavery campaign and the In-house team at MHRA for its FakeMeds campaign.

Tin Man, the agency that joined Vuelio for the How to create an award-winning campaign II webinar, was highly commended in two categories, including one for its #ISeeMore campaign with the IET.

Across the night, 42 winners were announced in 30 categories – the full list can be viewed online.

The Awards are a celebration of both the industry and the PRCA. Francis Ingham, director general of the PRCA, proudly announced that the association has welcome 222 new corporate members in 2018.

He also made the call for fewer industry bodies, praising the decisions of the MAAG, ICCO, LG Comms and the APPC to join with the PRCA. He said: ‘We can best stand up for our industry if our industry has one clear voice. There is a need and a desire for collaboration and consolidation of membership bodies. There are quite simply too many small tents. There needs to be one big one.

‘The PRCA tent can and must and will grow bigger in the best interests of our industry. And we will work relentlessly over the coming years to achieve just that. So, here’s my big offer – come with us, and together we will make our industry even greater.’

For those in the room, the rewards were clear, but particularly for one agency. Welcome to 2018: the year of Taylor Herring.

 

Vuelio were delighted to sponsor the PRCA National Awards 2018, particularly because it gave us the opportunity to make cup phones – check out the team from Taylor Herring making good use of them:

Steph and the Spaniels

Pet blog spotlight: Steph and the Spaniels

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Stephanie Walton is the blogger behind Steph and the Spaniels, which was recently named in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs. Charting the adventures Steph has with her husband and two spaniels – Severus and Lily (Always) – Steph and the Spaniels is known for its beautiful aesthetics and for showcasing the best of dog-friendly UK. We spoke to Steph about how the blog has changed, the joy of loving dogs and how lifestyle brands can become dog-friendly.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
I started blogging around nine years ago so it has changed a lot; it’s grown and changed as I have. Now being a very dog-friendly lifestyle blog, it really is a large part of my life.

Just like our passions and hobbies change, that’s what has happened to what I’ve shared. I’m also sharing the fact I’m a 30-year-old fur mum.

Steph and the Spaniels

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
The community is lovely, as well as the ease of it. Like I mentioned, what I blog about is literally my everyday life with the dogs, our travels tips for others or what we wear. I love that it’s such a diary for me to look back over.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
It’s not the dogs’ personality at all actually, I think it’s very important to showcase a dog’s life and that isn’t without the owner. It’s a lifestyle blog with a dog-friendly topic, so it’s all about our spaniel life, both human and hounds. Of course, I showcase what the dogs like and want to be sure my readers get to know them too.

Steph and the Spaniels

What’s better cats or dogs?
I’ve not owned a cat, so I can’t say which is better. It’s such a personal opinion, and I’d never take that away from a cat owner – as only they know.

I know I adore my dogs, I’d do anything for them because they make me so happy and all I want to do is make them happy. They make me a better person, they get me out adventuring and exploring and they make me passionate about something.

Steph and the Spaniels

Did you have a pet growing up?
I did, we had a lovely show cocker called Megan. She no doubt started my love for spaniels.

We also got Alfie and Tilly, our family dogs while I was still living at home. Sadly, Alfie has now passed but we love having Tilly over and inviting her on our adventures too – she loves being with Sev and Lily.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners?
That’s a hard one! I have so many. But I think enjoy them, let them love you and be loved. Have fun with them and get to know them, they have so much to give.

Steph and the Spaniels

How do you work with PRs and brands?
In many ways, we really love campaigns with substance and that can really get us creating fun and interesting content. We love being able to collaborate with pet brands, as well as lifestyle brands that we can bring a dog aspect into, as it shows how important pets really are to everyone.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
Again, such a hard question because we’ve had some wonderful collaborations.

Our travel work is amazing, it gets us out and exploring and holidaying with your pets is so popular now too, so sharing that is great for my readers.

Being able to work with brands we love is so exciting and such a proud feeling.

We’ve adored working with Barbour and Haven Holidays particularly this year, but every collaboration we are thankful for and so excited we get to create content to share.

Steph and the Spaniels

What other blogs do you read?
I love reading dog-friendly blogs, any lifestyle and travel blogs too. I’m a big blog reader and I love finding new pet blogs like mine. I enjoy reading everyday life and snippets into travelling with your dog or day to day life like walks and outfits.

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ResponseSource

Are you struggling to secure media coverage?

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It’s also the PR’s secret weapon – a shortcut to reaching leading journalists at top publications and outlets.

In this webinar introduction, we will give a detailed demonstration of the Journalist Enquiry Service, show how easy it is to use and how you can customise your experience to maximise your exposure. We will also explore the different kinds of requests that journalists send and show you ways to increase your national press coverage.

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Brexit roulette

Political Headlines – no-deal Brexit, legal advice, Lord suspension and Babcock

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Today’s political headlines include more Brexit news, with ministers telling May no-deal is preferable to accepting EU demands and Labour and Tory rebels trying to force the Government to publish Brexit legal advice, as well as Lord Lester facing a record suspension for sexual harassment and Babcock under extra scrutiny. 

Ministers to tell May no-deal is preferable to accepting EU demands
The Daily Telegraph reports that Eurosceptic ministers including Dominic Raab, Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox are to use a Cabinet meeting today to warn the Prime Minister that a no-deal Brexit would be preferable to giving into the EU’s demands. According to the paper, the latest round of negotiations broke down at 3am on Monday morning. Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, Theresa May said that she would not reach ‘an agreement at any cost’ and that negotiations were ‘now in the end game’.

Labour and Tory rebels in bid to force Government to publish Brexit legal advice
The Guardian says that Labour is to use a parliamentary procedure today to try to force the Government to publish its legal advice on the Irish backstop plan. The Sun adds that an amendment to Labour’s motion has been tabled by the European Research Group of Brexiteer Tory MPs, which is confident it has the support of over 40 backbenchers.

Peer recommended for record suspension from the Lord for sexual harassment
The Times has spoken to the women’s rights campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera following the publication of a report recommending that Lord Lester of Herne Hill be suspended from the Lords until 2022 for sexually harassing her. She said that she hoped that ‘by speaking out, victims were creating a climate in which people were more willing to listen’.

Defence contractor under extra scrutiny
The Financial Times says that Babcock, the UK’s second-largest defence supplier, has been placed under extra scrutiny, relating to a contract covering maintenance of the UK’s Vanguard submarines which carry the country’s nuclear deterrent. Officials told the paper that the department had ‘real concern’ and that relations were ‘strained’.

Johnson backs calls to offer Asia Bibi asylum in UK
The Daily Mail reports that former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is backing calls for the Pakistani woman Asia Bibi, cleared of blasphemy last month but at risk of attack from extremists, to be offered asylum in the UK. He has written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to say that threats of violence against UK missions in the country should not ‘deter us from doing the right thing’.

Hundreds of civil servants complain about harassment and bullying
An investigation by The Guardian has found that while hundreds of civil servants have made complaints about bullying or sexual harassment by colleagues, just a fraction of those accused were subject to disciplinary action. Not all departments and bodies provided data as a result of the paper’s request and some of those that did failed to provide exact figures.

Government faces ‘almost certain’ defeat over betting machine stake cut
The Times claims that the Government is ‘almost certain’ to be defeated over its plan to delay the cut in the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals after 21 Conservative MPs signed amendments designed to bring forward the cut, including Boris Johnson, David Davis, Priti Patel and Justine Greening. Labour has also said that it will back the amendments, laid by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith and SNP MP Ronnie Cowan.

No-deal Brexit to cost NHS £2.3bn
The Financial Times carries details of a report by the Nuffield Trust which warns that a no-deal Brexit would result in a £2.3bn ‘cost shock’ for the NHS in England, owing to an increase in red tape and trade barriers. This would take up all the funding available to improve patient care in the next two years.

Deal or no deal? Keep up with all the latest development with Vuelio Political Services.

Frank Marr

7 tips for creating an award-winning campaign

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Planning your PR and marketing campaigns for 2019? AM+A Marketing and Media Relations has picked up two awards in 2018: the Campaign Challenges Award at the PRCA Dare Awards and the Arts, Culture or Sport Campaign 2018 at the CIPR Excellence Awards – both were for its work on the Paisley UK City of Culture 2021 campaign.

Here, the agency’s managing director, Frank Marr, reveals seven tips for creating an award-winning campaign, from developing a cross channel strategy to improving your web ranking.

1. Campaign Creativity
The most effective campaigns are often down to the creative process. Ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. Once an idea is there it’s just a matter of strategically managing it. Using creativity to build brand stories and memorable content is a key way to entice your customers.

2. Campaign Strategy
It’s vital to have a clear outline of how a creative idea can be brought to life – whether it’s the development of a new product or a seasonal celebration. You should always start with a timeline of asset creation, media communication and which platforms you need.

3. In-house & Freelance Team Assets Creation
Decide which assets will be required from an exciting video and imagery to infographics and promotional material. Consider cross-platform social media material, signing up influencers and managing data capture with tracking links.

4. Improving Web Ranking: AdWords & PPC
If the creative campaign focuses on a new package, there are often opportunities to get a competitive advantage by reviewing low performing or non-existent AdWords. Look at how your organisation can boost its web ranking by creating new search engine terms.

5. Press Office, Contacts & Media Trip Programme
Whether you’re planning a short campaign or a 12 to 24 month promotion, communicating the right messages to gain the media’s attention is key. Make sure you’ve planned your media lists, media assets and a campaign timeline. If you’re doing a product launch or exclusive event, make sure you get the media to the right place at the right time, considering when you want the publicity to appear.

6. Social Media Campaign & Owned Online Content
Find stories around your campaign that aren’t necessarily commercially oriented but do create a story that benefits the reader. From your owned content, you can implement a strong tone of voice on social media, engage with influencers and promote campaign messages. Pre-plan your budgets for targeted posts, core target audiences and geo locations.

7. Sales & Results
Measure Google Analytics, monitor online engagement and tweak content as you go to maximise brand reach and monitor the scale of publicity.

AM+A can be found sharing PR and marketing tips on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Ready to make an award-winning campaign? Find out how Vuelio can help.

Brexit 48 hours

Political Headlines – 48-hour Brexit deal, Johnson’s rebellion, Cabinet mutiny and no confidence

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Today’s political headlines are still dominated by Brexit and are likely to remain that way, at least for the next 48 hours. The Government is hoping to agree the deal within the next two days – meanwhile, Boris Johnson has called for Cabinet mutiny and pro-EU MPs are preparing letters of no confidence in Theresa May. 

Government hoping for a Brexit deal in the next 48 hours
The Times claims that the Government is hoping to agree a Brexit deal with the EU in the next 48 hours, with outstanding issues including fishing rights in the backstop and the review mechanism to leave it. Over the weekend, Andrea Leadsom said the UK must be able ‘to decide to leave’ the backstop rather than being ‘held against its will’ by the EU. The Financial Times adds that the EU is trying to get the UK to agree to the inclusion of detailed ‘level playing field’ measures in the backstop, including environmental targets and state aid rules to be overseen by the European Court of Justice.

Johnson to join MPs rebelling over gambling machine stake cut delay
According to The Sun, Boris Johnson is to lead a cross-party rebellion against delays to implementing a reduction to the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals. An amendment, backed by 60 MPs, may be tabled by Iain Duncan Smith and Carolyn Harris  today. The Guardian adds that the Government’s decision to delay the policy was based on a report commissioned by the Association of British Bookmakers, which the company Paddy Power Betfair described as ‘unrealistic’.

Johnson calls for Cabinet ‘mutiny’ over Brexit
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson says that Theresa May is ‘on the verge of total surrender’ to the EU, describing her Brexit plans as ‘shameful’. He adds that the Cabinet ‘ought’ to mutiny over the proposals, but that it would make little difference as the Government’s ambition ‘is to remain in captivity’.

Pro-EU MPs prepare letters of no confidence in May
The Sun asserts that pro-EU Conservative MPs are preparing letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister. One told the paper that ‘we are now staring into the abyss’ and another described Theresa May as ‘the problem’. One of the MPs suggested that David Davis might be persuaded to back a short-term Norway-style Brexit if given May’s job.

Retailers to pay more for recycling in new strategy
In an exclusive, The Guardian says that retailers and major drinks brands face a large increase in the amount they pay towards recycling used packaging, with contributions increasing from around £70m a year to between £500m and £1bn. The proposal forms part of the Government’s waste strategy, which will be published later this month.

Truss excluded from Budget meetings
The Times claims that Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was excluded from meetings before the Budget owing to tensions between her and the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, who was apparently annoyed by her attendance at Andrea Leadsom’s Brexiteer ‘pizza club’ meetings.

Hunt to confront Saudi Crown Prince
The Daily Telegraph says that Jeremy Hunt will today become the first minister to meet the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Hunt will use the opportunity to ‘confront’ Mohammed bin Salman, express his ‘horror and outrage’ and demand that the country co-operates with the Turkish investigation into the death.

May open to ‘different’ relationship with Russia
The Guardian reports that Theresa May will use her address at the Lord Mayor’s banquet today to say that the UK is open to a ‘different’ relationship with Russia, adding that the country is ‘ready to respond in kind’ if Russia were to become more open to international co-operation.

Will a deal be made? Find out with Vuelio Political Services.

Creative shootout

Are you creative enough to save the planet?

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The Creative Shootout competition is back for 2019 and is now open for entries. Agency teams from all marketing disciplines are being called on to show off their creative talent to tackle plastic pollution.

For this year’s awards, and tapping into the current zeitgeist, The Creative Shootout has teamed up with A Plastic Planet (APP). Known for launching the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle, the non-profit social impact movement will be challenging agencies to come up with a campaign to help it achieve its singular goal; dramatically reduce the use of plastic to package our food and drink.

Check out the campaign video below:

Agencies have until 30 November to submit their 60-second creative entries via www.creativeshootout.com. Entries must convince judges that the agency is creative enough for the competition and will only be ‘consumed’ a maximum of 60 seconds – whether it’s visual, video, showreel, app, audio, written, a simple email or even a cake.

From there, entries are shortlisted to eight finalist agency teams, who go on to compete in the live head-to-head Final at BAFTA on Thursday 24 January 2019.

As with the 2018 Live Final, where Raw London was victorious with its ‘Any shape – any size’ campaign for FareShare, teams will be given a brief on the day from APP – and then have just four hours to turn it into the most creative campaign possible.

After the four hours, teams have just ten minutes – and the daunting prospect of a huge live audience – to present their campaigns. The winner is announced on the night and will get to see their idea come to life.

Bragging rights as ‘the UK’s most creative agency’ are also up for grabs.

Vuelio is delighted to once again be sponsoring The Creative Shootout and will be providing the live finalists with an on-the-day Canvas for inspiration and intelligence to help them shape their campaigns. Last year’s finalists used this Canvas to help shape their campaigns for FareShare. .

Johnny Pitt, founder of The Creative Shootout, said: ‘The Creative Shootout champions the UK’s best creative talent in a real, live and yet supportive environment. It’s like no other awards. And plastic pollution affects every single one of us, and will do for generations. The creative industry can really help.’

APP co-founders Sian Sutherland and Frederikke Magnussen added: ‘We’re just two self-confessed plastic addicts who have spent the last two years trying to reverse what we are all collectively doing to our oceans, our land and ultimately to our own health.

‘If you work for a creative agency, now is the time to stand up and be counted as one of the army of passionate people and experts standing up for the public who want the choice to buy food and drink that isn’t wrapped in indestructible plastic. Get your entries in and we’ll see the best of you at the Live Final on 24 January.’

Ireland border

Political Headlines – Brexit borders and understanding & the four-day week

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Today’s political headlines continue with the Brexit theme, with a border in the Irish Sea proposed for a no-deal scenario, Raab criticised for a lack of understanding of UK trade. McDonnell looking into the case for a four-day week and crisis on the high street. 

Border in the Irish Sea if there is no Brexit deal
The Times reports on a leaked letter from Theresa May signalling that in the event of a no deal Brexit a customs border in the Irish Sea will be put in place. The PM has previously promised the DUP that she would not sign up to any deal that would result in Northern Ireland being separated from the rest of the UK. DUP MP for East Antrim, Sammy Wilson, has accused the PM of betrayal.

Raab criticised for lack of understanding of UK trade
The BBC reports that Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab is facing criticism for saying that he ‘hadn’t quite understood’ how the UK relies on trade in goods from the Dover-Calais crossing. Raab made these remarks when speaking about the deal the UK is seeking after it leaves the EU. In his comments the Brexit Secretary also accepted that UK consumers may face less choice of products if frictionless trade is not maintained.

McDonnell may look further into the case for a four-day week
The Shadow Chancellor has been working with economist Lord Skidelsky about an inquiry into changing the working week from five days to four as reported by the Guardian. McDonnell has previously said that Labour would investigate ways to reduce the working week. Skidelsky has said he is looking at reducing the standard working week and hopes his findings will be open to anyone to look at the results. France and Germany have higher levels of production than the UK and work less.

Crisis on the high street continues
Sky report on research produce by PwC and the Local Data Company that shows that 14 shops a day are closing on the high street and the crisis will continue. As well as shops closing at a rapid rate there is also fewer new shops starting up. Larger chains as well as independent retailers have been forced to close shops this year.

Fund set up to tackle rogue landlords
The Guardian reports on a Government fund that has been launched that will help councils in England tackle rogue landlords. The funding is intended to give councils more power to combat rogue landlords and ensure homes are of a good standard; £2m has been put forward but this works out at less than £6,000 for each council. Campaign groups hope that more funding will be put forward when the changes to the law are in place.

More than 450 missing foreign criminals lost by the Home Office since 2016
The Sun reports that the Home Office has lost more than 450 foreign criminals since 2016, 223 of those who absconded have since been found. Conservative MP, Tim Loughton said the findings are horrifying and that we should immediately deport these criminals. Since 2010, 44,500 foreign national offenders have been deported.

Don’t get criticised for a lack of understanding, get Vuelio Political Services.